North Ayrshire Council will have some of its boundary lines redrawn after next year’s local elections.

Ardrossan will become a stand alone ward represented by three councillors, with Arran getting a councillor of its own after proposals were approved in June this year.

Saltcoats and Stevenston, currently separate, are to be merged and represented by five elected members between them.

The new boundary lines will come into effect next May when the new council is formed. North Ayrshire Council currently have 33 elected members representing nine wards.

The new proposal advises that the council retain the same number of councillors, with existing wards of Kilwinning, Irvine East, Irvine South, and Irvine

West remaining unchanged for now.

Currently, Ardrossan and Arran share three councillors between them, with two of the elected members living on the island and one on the mainland.

The proposal comes after Boundaries Scotland were asked to perform a review of electoral arrangements in the region, after the Islands (Scotland) Act came into force in 2018.

Local authorities that include islands within their catchment were under review to ensure that they received more parity in relation to councillor representation and to ensure island issues are fairly represented.

After an extensive review of the current North Ayrshire Council area, Boundaries Scotland - the new name for the Local Government Boundary Commission - published its recommendations for the area during the summer.

They advised that Arran should become a one-member ward to reflect its island status.

A case for a two-member Arran ward was also presented, as well as retaining the existing system in order to link between Arran and the mainland. However neither recognised the distinct nature of Arran’s island communities and its population.

Boundaries Scotland say that these changes would represent historical burgh boundaries.

The changes would also allow the council wards to be designed to better fit North Ayrshire Council’s six Localities.